Monoclonal Antibody Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Events

New analyses presented at the 2018 American College of Cardiology meeting suggest that an anti-inflammatory biologic drug may help reduce cardiovascular risks among patients with unmet needs.

Canakinumab was found to lower the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events and comorbidities among high-risk patients with atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and patients with prediabetes or confirmed type 2 diabetes, respectively, according to the session.

Canakinumab is an IL-1 inhibitor that lowers high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and IL-6 without affecting lipid levels, according to the researchers.

The data revealed that canakinumab slashed the rate of cardiovascular events in both patient populations without impacting renal events or glucose control.

"Evidence continues to build that inflammation underlies many diseases and health conditions," said author Brendan Everett, MD. "We find that among heart attack survivors with diabetes or pre-diabetes, canakinumab is effective at reducing risk of cardiovascular events. Our data also suggest that as cardiovascular disease and diabetes take root, the inflammatory pathways underlying them may diverge."

In the CANTOS trial, the authors discovered that canakinumab effectively reduced the rate of cardiovascular events among patients with and without diabetes.

Significantly, the monoclonal antibody lowered HbA1C levels in patients with diabetes or prediabetes; however, this effect was not sustained passed 9 months, according to the study.

In a newer analysis, canakinumab was found to reduce major cardiovascular events among high-risk patients with atherosclerosis and CKD.

The most significant benefits were observed among patients who had the most substantial anti-inflammatory response to the drug, according to the study.

These findings suggest that the newer treatment may effectively treat patients with other conditions, according to the authors.

"Moving forward, it will be important to extend these data and test the efficacy of canakinumab in patients with end-stage renal failure undergoing dialysis," said author Paul Ridker, MD. "In that setting, hsCRP is a powerful predictor of risk while LDL-C is not, and dialysis is one of the only settings where LDL reduction has not been highly effective."